Why Addleshaw Goddard?

At Addleshaw Goddard we not only provide technical excellence and experience but, crucially, demonstrate real insight into our clients and what really matters to them. A natural choice for FTSE100 clients and their equivalents in other markets and for the best talent, our people fulfil their potential in an environment where they are developed and valued. We put ourselves in our clients' shoes, as part of a team of effective business people as well as efficient lawyers.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and we do not discriminate on the basis of a person's gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and communities. If you want us to make any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process to help you perform to your best, just let us know.

The Team

The Competition & Public Procurement Team is a distinct unit within the Corporate Department of Addleshaw Goddard's Dublin Office. The team currently comprises of 1 partner who works with associates and trainee solicitors from the Corporate Department on competition and public procurement-related advice as they arise. However, there is now a requirement for a dedicated competition and public procurement associate (between NQ - 4 years PQE) due to:

• A significant uplift in existing client work this year with several merger notifications currently in the pipeline and notable growth in demand for competition and public procurement law advice;
• Growth in the volume of new client work due to referrals from Addleshaw Goddard's UK teams; and
• Expected additional workflows for the team due to developments in Irish law including:
  • The Irish Competition & Consumer Protection's (“CCPC's”) new powers to enforce competition law and to impose administrative sanctions which are expected to lead to a notable increase in competition law investigations.

  • The CCPC's new powers to review ‘below-threshold' M&A deals; and

  • The upcoming Screening of 3rd Country Transactions Regime which is expected to impact transactions relating to critical infrastructure, technologies, inputs, and media in Ireland, to which 3rd country undertakings are a party.

The team places a high emphasis on their transactional expertise and are able to bring a commercial and business-oriented approach to a wide range of competition and public procurement law matters.

Culturally the team are supportive, motivated and down to earth and work closely together to find innovative solutions and provide the best service possible. Addleshaw Goddard provides a strong, collaborative and friendly culture where we expect the best of each other. Our people fulfil their potential in an environment where they are developed and valued. We ensure everyone is given the opportunity to flourish, learn and grow. We are genuinely invested in our employees development and careers and have evidenced the progression, opportunities and professional development on offer.

It is important that we provide a positive experience to everyone who works here and our focus on financial, lifestyle and wellbeing benefits ensures that this experience goes beyond the nine-to-five. As an employee at AG you will benefit from a flexible and agile culture. We are committed to making agile working accessible to all, balancing our employee's needs with the requirements of the team, the firm and its clients and living true to the values in our mindful business charter.

What does this role entail?

• Market leading deals: You can expect to work on a variety of Competition law issues including advising on merger control, abuse of dominance, anti-competitive agreements and State aid. You can also expect to work on a variety of Public Procurement work including advising on initiating and defending against challenges to award decisions of contracting authorities. The Dublin office have recently been advising on the following:
  • Acting for car park operator Q-Park Ireland in respect of its proposed acquisition of Tazbell Services Group: The deal is subject to approval by the Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC). Q-Park Ireland is part of Dutch-incorporated parking infrastructure owner and operator Q-Park Holding, which is owned by private equity group KKR. Tazbell Services Group also provides car parking management services in addition to on-street parking enforcement and clamping services, managing 50,000 on-street spaces for local authorities, providing toll operations for the M3 and M4 and parking consulting services.
  • Acting for Colas on its acquisition of sole control of SIAC Bituminous Products. The deal was subject to approval by the CCPC.
  • Acting for Murdock Builders Merchants in respect of its acquisition of Brooks Timber and Building Supplies. The deal was subject to approval by the CCPC.
  • Acting for the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland in respect of the competition law implications of its interactions, and its members' interactions, with an online property advertising portal.
  • Acting for IDA Ireland in respect of multiple public procurement law issues, including most recently, the procurement of a €10m CRM cloud-software platform.
  • Acting for Walmac Demolition in respect of its successful High Court challenge of a decision by Dublin City Council to exclude Walmac from a €15m framework agreement for demolition services.

• Top quality Competition & Public Procurement mandates: the team compete with market-leading Competition & Public Procurement teams when pitching for the work you will be carrying out and negotiating against these firms on the transactions you work on.
• Working in a division that is strategically important to AG: As one of the firm's key areas of expertise, Competition & Public Procurement is at the heart of Addleshaw Goddard and represents a formidable powerhouse. In Ireland, the firm acts for AIB, BMW, B. Braun, Colas, Grosvenor, Homebase, IDA Ireland, Lotus Cars, Marks & Spencer, MBCC Costa, Murdock Builders Merchants, Kepak Meats, Tifco Hotel Group, United Hardware, Zara and Q-Park.

We have a strong reputation for providing Associates with early levels of responsibility within a supportive, stretching environment. At this stage in your career the team will take a genuine interest and support you with your development ensuring that you have the tools and access to work to become a well-rounded and successful lawyer.

Where will you work?

You will be based in the Dublin office and will primarily be providing Irish law advice, though you will also assist Addleshaw Goddard's broader Competition Team in the UK and EU.

The wider Competition and Public Procurement Teams are based across all of our UK offices. We operate a flexible, hybrid working system comprising a blend of working in the office and working from home, and we expect that this will continue for the foreseeable future.

Who will you be?

You will be an Associate with demonstrated experience of advising on competition and/or public procurement law in a Dublin, London or Brussels law firm or in a regulatory body (such as the CCPC), who is seeking a new challenge within the Competition and Public Procurement space.

Fundamentally, you need enthusiasm, resilience and ambition. That is, the ambition to improve yourself with the best possible work, making the most of the opportunities you will be given, whilst still having time to enjoy life outside work. It is also the ambition to grow Addleshaw Goddard's Competition and Public Procurement law practice in Ireland and the UK. You should be comfortable with the variety of work on offer, willing to embrace it and not be daunted.

We want to attract candidates who want to know how to become successful as part of a team culture.

You must have demonstrable academics or relevant experience or interests.

You can be sure that you will be given appropriate levels of responsibility. In return, we expect that you will welcome this and see this as an opportunity for your personal development.

What you don't know, we can teach, if you have these attributes.